Iraqis fill Mosul airwaves after Daesh ouster

Mosul (Iraq) - The emergence of stations such as One FM is a step in the city's transformation since Daesh was ousted.

During the Daesh group's rule in Mosul, radio stations were banned and replaced with broadcasts of extremist propaganda. Today, young Iraqis are filling the city's airwaves.
One budding presenter is Nour Tai, who at 16 years old faces the microphone with a confident tone and a professional style.
She hosts a weekly programme on One FM, a Mosul station launched in February that broadcasts a mix of music, entertainment and current affairs debates.
Her career began a year ago thanks to a talent show organised by Al Ghad, a station in the Kurdish city of Arbil which hosted many of those displaced from Iraq's second city.
She said at the time that she was passionate about radio because "it touches everyone". "I want to be part of it," she said.
She now sits in the One FM studio, accompanied by her father, as a degenerative illness left her blind three years ago.
She says her aim is to "give people hope, especially those who suffer from a handicap."
"I want to tell everyone that we can all contribute something and that we can realise our dreams," she says from the cramped studio.
The launch of One FM came six months after Iraqi forces declared victory over Daesh following three years of brutal rule in Iraq's second city.
Daesh had shut down independent radio stations and anyone caught tuning in could expect severe physical punishment.
The emergence of stations such as One FM is a step in the city's transformation since Daesh was ousted following a vast, months-long operation.
Young presenters are busy 24 hours a day, producing and broadcasting shows which are also filmed for broadcast on the radio's website and social media accounts.
The channel is run by volunteers who bought the necessary equipment by pooling their savings, some selling their own belongings to fund the station.
Yassir Al Qaissi, One FM's head of communications, says their aim is to "denounce violence and extremism, and broaden people's minds".

• MENA